One of the historical problems in semiconductor production facilities is the presences of static charges in the production areas. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can directly damage wafers in process by interfering with their circuitry. Additionally, electrostatic charges can be damaging due to their tendency to attract and hold particulate contamination on the wafers in process. ESD can also affect the controlling circuitry of the process machines operating on wafers in a production line, thereby causing breakage and damage to the wafers.
For these reasons, many efforts have been directed at the elimination of ESD in the production area. One method of combatting ESD is the room ionizer, which ionizes the airflow supply in a cleanroom environment. While this method of reducing ESD damage is effective on operations that are conducted in an area where the airflow easily reaches the wafers, room ionizers are not effective in dealing with electrostatic charge that accumulates in the interiors of production tools.
Another serious shortcoming of the room ionizer as a means to eliminate ESD is that it is not effective for operations conducted in a "mini-environment". Mini-environments, which provide a contamination free area only immediately around the process area itself, preclude ionized air in the fab area from reaching the interior of the environment, where the parts are processed.
The biggest problem with current art technology is that it requires a great deal of time to eliminate static charge.